Kerry Hudson’s new memoir NEWBORN to be published by Chatto & Windus

Image: Nick Tucker

Becky Hardie, Deputy Publishing Director at Chatto & Windus, has acquired rights in UK & Commonwealth territories (including Canada) to Kerry Hudson’s powerful new memoir NEWBORN from Juliet Pickering.

NEWBORN is a beautiful, empowering memoir about creating a family in the midst of chaos, and learning new ways to find happiness. It continues the journey Kerry started in her bestselling memoir LOWBORN, illuminating her experiences of becoming a mother, reshaping her future and reclaiming her identity.

Kerry Hudson is celebrated for her emotionally and politically powerful writing about growing up in poverty. Her books and journalism have changed the conversation and touched countless lives.

In this new book she asks: what next, after a childhood like hers? What hope is there of creating a different life for herself, let alone future generations? We see how Kerry found love, what it took to decide to start a family of her own and how fragile every step of the journey towards parenthood was. All along the way, she faces obstacles that would test the strongest foundations, from struggles with fertility to being locked down in a Prague maternity hospital to a marriage in crisis. But over and over again, her love, hope, fight – and determination to break patterns and give her son a different life – win through and light her path.

Kerry Hudson says: ‘As with LOWBORN, this continues the tradition of writing the book I needed to read myself. I know I am one of many who experiences the aftershocks of childhood deprivation and who has complicated or estranged relationships with their own mothers. I didn't have a map for motherhood or a blueprint for building a healthy family but in this book I explore how, with love, laughter and the hardest lessons, it is absolutely possible. Though I never say this, I'm very proud of this book. It's as candid as anything I've ever written and I hope it will, as LOWBORN did, find the readers who truly need it.'

Becky Hardie, Deputy Publishing Director of Chatto & Windus says: ‘Ever since Chatto published her first novel, we’ve watched as Kerry’s beautifully open and honest writing has reached and inspired more and more readers. She truly has changed lives, and the publishing industry. In this new book, she faces perhaps the biggest challenge yet: how to build a family when you don’t have a model to work from. As it turns out, this isn’t perhaps the biggest challenge, and she will need to draw more than ever on the adventurous spirit, resilience, sense of humour and empathy she is so celebrated for.’ 

Chatto & Windus will publish NEWBORN in hardback in Spring 2024.

About Kerry Hudson

Kerry Hudson was born in Aberdeen. Growing up in a succession of council estates, B&Bs and caravan parks provided her with a keen eye for idiosyncratic behaviour, material for life, and a love of travel.

Her first novel, TONY HOGAN BOUGHT ME AN ICE-CREAM FLOAT BEFORE HE STOLE MY MA (Chatto & Windus), was published in July 2012 and was shortlisted for eight literary prizes, including the Guardian First Book Award and Green Carnation Prize, and won Scottish First Book of the Year. Kerry’s second novel, THIRST, was developed with support from the National Lottery through an Arts Council England grant, and published by Chatto in July 2014 before being shortlisted for the Green Carnation Prize. Her first work of non-fiction, LOWBORN (2019) became a Times bestseller and was hailed as ‘One of the most important books of the year’ by The Guardian.

Published in France as La Couleur de L'eau by Editions Philippe Rey, translated by Florence Lévy-Paolini, THIRST was the winner of prestigious literary prize, Prix Femina Etranger 2015, going on to become a bestseller in France. It was also shortlisted for the European Strega prize in Italy, after being published there as SETE, by Minimum Fax.

Kerry also wrote the script for HANNAH, which was broadcast on BBC Four, starring Emma Fryer, as part of SKINT, a series of seven 15-minute monologues tackling the subject of poverty in the UK. HANNAH tells the story of a mother who is trying to do the best for her child whilst facing homelessness.

Kerry writes for various publications including The New York Times, Guardian, Big Issue and Press and Journal, and is a columnist for The Herald. In 2022 she was nominated for Columnist of the Year in the Regional Press Awards. In 2020, Kerry was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

She currently lives in Glasgow.

Praise for Kerry Hudson

‘A fearless writer, an inspiring woman’ – Jackie Annesley ― The Sunday Times

‘It’s not just Kerry Hudson’s writing that is vibrant, authentic and true, it’s the person herself, it’s where the writing comes from; a wise and generous heart.’ – Kit de Waal

‘There are few writers who use their work to shine a light on working class lives, and fewer still who use their success, as Kerry herself said recently in The Guardian, ‘to send the elevator back down’ to help those waiting in the basement to make their way up. Kerry Hudson is one of those writers who stands out for her empathy and passion and her tireless championing of the excluded.’ – Paul McVeigh

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Avon snaps up two more Emma Cowell novels

Avon Books has snapped up two more novels from bestselling author Emma Cowell, following the break-out success of her debut novel, ONE LAST LETTER FROM GREECE, which has sold more than 35,000 copies and is being published in Germany, Denmark, Greece, Poland and Russia. Helen Huthwaite, Publisher at Avon, struck the deal for World English Language rights with Kate Burke.

Publisher Helen Huthwaite said: ‘Working with Emma is as dreamy as the settings for her gorgeous Greek books, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be continuing our fruitful partnership. Escapist, romantic and brimming with Mediterranean sunshine, Emma’s novels are everything you want from a summer read, ensuring that readers fall more in love with Greece with every turn of the page.’

Emma Cowell said: ‘I am thrilled to be able to continue my writing journey with the incredible team at Avon, Harper Collins. They believed in my writing from the get-go, launching my debut novel and to have found a home for my next two books with them is so exciting.’

Agent Kate Burke said: ‘After such a successful start with Emma's first two books, we're delighted to be continuing our journey with the Avon team!’

The new contract will take Emma’s publishing through to May 2025 with her second novel, THE HOUSE IN THE OLIVE GROVE, publishing next month.

THE HOUSE IN THE OLIVE GROVE follows three very different women who come together at the house in the olive grove. Soon enough, unlikely friendships blossom and a season of self-discovery begins. Will the sumptuous flavours, sapphire waters and golden sands of Greece give each of them the answers they so desperately seek?

About Emma Cowell

Emma lives in Cornwall with her husband, Tony, and their fur baby, a Russian Blue called Papoushka Gerald Cowell. A former actress and BBC presenter Emma has worked in the fundraising division of children’s palliative care for the last decade and is currently Head of Philanthropy for national charity Together for Short Lives. Segueing from being paid to talk for a living into writing was a natural progression, since story telling has been at the heart of her career to date. Outside of work, Emma is a keen angler and held a Cornish record for over 10 years until her crown was toppled. She is yet to get over it but tries to keep calm by practising yoga. Also, a keen linguist, Emma is attempting to learn Greek to maintain her love affair with the country where she has set her debut novel. She is yet to achieve a level of proficiency outside of tavernas and bakeries.

Praise for THE HOUSE IN THE OLIVE GROVE

‘I adored THE HOUSE IN THE OLIVE GROVE. It is a hymn to friendship and love, and is utterly perfect.’ – Liz Fenwick

‘A glorious story full of warmth, laughter, healing and hope’ – Adriana Trigiani

‘A culinary twist, female solidarity, friendship and romance, what more does one need for a perfect summer read?’ – Nadia Marks, bestselling author of AMONG THE LEMON TREES

‘Evocative, compelling, moving. A glorious story.’ – Kate Frost, bestselling author of ONE GREEK SUMMER

‘Sunshine and friendship, broken hearts and secrets. Cowell’s exquisite writing is as delicious as the food she describes.’ – Jennie Keer, bestselling author of THE SECRETS OF HAWTHORN PLACE

 

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Rue Baldry shortlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize

Credit: Rachel Gladwin

Rue Baldry’s short story ‘Lech, Prince, and the Nice Things’ has been shortlisted for The 2023 Commonwealth Short Story Prize.

The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is awarded annually for the best piece of unpublished short fiction from any of the Commonwealth’s 56 Member States. This year’s shortlist of 28 stories were selected from a total of 6,642 entries from 56 Commonwealth countries.

All of the shortlisted titles will be published in the online magazine of the Commonwealth Foundation, adda,  and the regional winners in the literary magazine Granta. The regional winners will be announced on the 17th of May, with the overall winner announced on the 27th of  June 2023.

Chair of the Judges, Pakistani writer and translator Bilal Tanweer commented, ‘On behalf of the jury, I am thrilled to reveal the shortlist for the 2023 Commonwealth Short Story Prize. This year's shortlist is a concert of voices from across the Commonwealth, showcasing the richness of its writing traditions, histories, and perspectives. These stories brim with the energy and urgency of the present moment—read them to experience the beat and pulse of contemporary storytelling.

‘These stories perform the essential function of the best fiction: they make us see what we couldn’t see, awaken our sympathies for people we didn’t know, and bring us closer to the world we already inhabit. What we see here are writers, who with their varied styles and strategies, stretch our sense of the real. These stories, like music, go clean through our gut and spine, filling us with sensations ranging from dysphoric anguish to euphoric laughter, and after reading each story, we wake up to the world, changed.’

Dr Anne T. Gallagher AO, Director-General of the Commonwealth Foundation, the intergovernmental organisation which administers the prize,  commended all 6,642 citizens of the Commonwealth who entered stories in 2023, offering special congratulations to the 28 writers who made the shortlist in a highly competitive year. Dr Gallagher added: ‘The Foundation is proud of the Short Story Prize: proud of what it reveals of the richness of Commonwealth culture; proud of its reach into all Commonwealth countries; and proud of the role that the prize plays in unearthing and nurturing emerging talent. Working so closely with civil society, we see, every day, the power of storytelling to challenge, to inspire, and to help us make sense of ourselves and the world around us.’

The full shortlist can be seen here.

Rue’s story, ‘Lech, Prince, and the Nice Things’ is the story of a young plasterer working on a basement conversion who is lured to the upper floors of the building, where he finds the ‘nice things’ of the title, and commits acts of petty revenge on them.

Her debut novel, DWELL, is a moving coming-of-age and LGBT+  story, exploring themes of trauma, healing and belonging in the aftermath of World War One.

 

About Rue Baldry

Rue Baldry writes fiction and lives in York. In 2015, she was mentored by Ross Raisin as a Jerwood/ Arvon mentee. In 2017, she was the Bridge Awards/ Moniack Mhor Emerging Writer. Rue has come second in the Yeovil Prize, been shortlisted for the Flash 500 competition and longlisted for the Caledonian, Bridport, First Page and Women’s Prize Discoveries prizes. Twenty-four of her short stories have been published in journals including Ambit, Fairlight Shorts, Mslexia, Crossways, Litro, MIR Online, Postbox, The Incubator, The First Line and The Honest Ulsterman, and shortlisted in the Reader Berlin and Odd Voice Out competitions.

 

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ITV’s GRACE third series success

ITV hit crime drama, GRACE, returned to screens on Sunday 19th March for a third season, garnering high praise and strong viewing figures. DEAD LIKE YOU (Series 3, Episode 1) drew in 5.6 million viewers on its seven-day consolidated figures – up a massive 700,000 on Season 2. The last episode of the season, NOT DEAD YET, airs on Sunday 2nd April at 8pm. Tune in then, and if you watch closely, in the first moments, you will be able to spot Peter James and his wife, Lara, walking down Brighton Palace Pier towards the camera!

GRACE stars acclaimed actor John Simm as tenacious detective Roy Grace, Richie Campbell as Glenn Branson and Zoë Tapper as Cleo Morley. The series is adapted from the bestselling Roy Grace book series by Peter James, which has delivered nineteen consecutive Sunday Times Number Ones for Peter James and his publisher Pan Macmillan. The third season of GRACE has received wonderful praise in the press and Season 4, with four episodes, starts shooting on April 11th.

‘For fans still coming to terms with the end of Endeavour, the third series of Grace has arrived just in time to fill the Brit detective void… a world-weary detective; a younger sidekick; and plenty of knotty cases to be solved.’ – Poppie Platt, The Sunday Telegraph

‘Simm plays the lead with elegant understatement’ – Mail On Sunday

‘John Simm is very good as gentle DS Roy Grace’ – Carol Midgley, The Times

‘John Simm is perfectly cast as our morose hero.’ – The Sunday Times

‘Darkly compelling’ – Tim Oglethorpe, The Daily Mail

‘A stirring return’ – TV Times, 5-star review

GRACE aired around the world for the first time in March 2021, with the first episode based on the first Roy Grace book DEAD SIMPLE. It has since aired in many countries including the USA, Canada, Japan, Norway and Finland. In April 2022, GRACE returned to screens with LOOKING GOOD DEAD and NOT DEAD ENOUGH, both of which topped the charts as most-watched UK TV show of the night. DEAD MAN’S FOOTSTEPS and DEAD TOMORROW followed. You can catch up on previous episodes of GRACE on BritBox and ITVX.

GRACE is produced by Tall Story Pictures (part of ITV Studios) and Vaudeville Productions. Along with Patrick Schweitzer (Tall Story Pictures), Andrew O’Connor (Vaudeville Productions) and Paul Sandler (Vaudeville Productions), author Peter James also acted as executive producer on the new films. ITV Drama Commissioner, Huw Kennair-Jones, oversaw production from ITV’s perspective.

March also saw a return to the stage for the Roy Grace series as the adaptation of WISH YOU WERE DEAD premiered. The nationwide stage play tour included a successful Gala Night at Brighton’s Theatre Royal. An all-star cast includes George Rainsford, who returns to the stage after eight years as Ethan Hardy in BBC One’s Casualty, Clive Mantle, much loved for many roles including Casualty, Game of Thrones and the iconic ‘puddle’ scene in Vicar of Dibley and the multi-talented actress, novelist, podcaster and winner of I’m A Celebrity, Giovanna Fletcher (until 29th April 2023). See more information on tour dates here.

The paperback edition of the most recent bestselling Roy Grace title, PICTURE YOU DEAD, will be out in the UK on 11 May and the nineteenth book in the series, STOP THEM DEAD, will be published in hardback in by Pan Macmillan on 28 September 2023.

Further praise for GRACE

‘A very effective appetite-whetter… The unpretentious storytelling makes this an easy watch, helmed by the always watchable Simm.’ – The Mail on Sunday, Pick of the Day

‘It’s a good’un... John Simm was pleasingly understated as Detective Superintendent Roy Grace and the adaptation was well done by Russell Lewis, creator of ENDEAVOUR. Richie Campbell was great as Roy’s colleague, DS Branson, bringing just the right amount of energy to proceedings... If ITV can find room in the schedules, another Grace instalment would go down nicely.’ – Anita Singh, The Telegraph

‘Roy Grace doesn’t have any obvious gimmick to mark him out, but he swiftly establishes himself as a solid addition to the Sunday-night pack… Chilling.’ – James Jackson, The Times, Critic’s Choice

‘Grace and Branson’s race to find Michael made for truly nail-biting TV and there were great performances, with Simm as watchable as ever as the shrewd, yet vulnerable Grace… With more to come later this year… I’ll certainly be tuning in.’ – Gwendolyn Smith, The i

‘There is a reason why Peter James’s novels have sold all over the world, and one of the main ones is that… Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is a well-written and believable character… Simm makes for a likeable lead and the atmospheric Brighton setting is well used.’ – Sarah Hughes, The Sunday Telegraph, The Very Best of the Week Ahead

‘Simm gives [Roy Grace] a winning sense of humour beneath all the grit… Campbell is smooth foil, playing Branson quietly enough that Simm doesn’t have to be enormous to stand out. Brighton’s mix of pretty shoreline, faded glamour, criminal past and contemporary hipsterism makes it a ripe spot for some murder. The action feels rooted in its setting…It’s almost inconceivable Simm hasn’t already been in a long running franchise… and I expect the wait’s over.’ – Ed Cumming, The Independent

‘Few people do moody, angst-ridden men better than John Simm, who takes on the role of Grace. With so many books in hand, this series could run and run.’ — The best television shows in the UK this April, Prospect Magazine

About Peter James

Credit: James Clarke

Peter James is the international bestselling author of many award-winning novels, translated into thirty-seven languages with worldwide sales of over twenty-one million copies. His Brighton-set Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series has given him nineteenth consecutive Sunday Times Number Ones. In 2015 WH Smith customers voted him the Greatest Crime Author of All Time and in 2016 he was awarded the coveted CWA Diamond Dagger, a lifetime achievement award for sustained excellence. In 2018 he received a Specsavers Honorary Platinum Bestseller Award.

In addition to his career as a novelist, he has produced several films, including The Merchant of Venice, starring Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons and Joseph Fiennes. He also co-created the hit Channel 4 series Bedsitcom, which was nominated for a Rose d'Or.

Successful nationwide tours of the stage plays of THE PERFECT MURDER (2014) and DEAD SIMPLE (2015) have packed theatres in dozens of British cities, and garnered magnificent reviews and NOT DEAD ENOUGH opened to full houses and acclaim in 2017. January 2019 saw the opening of the stage tour of THE HOUSE ON COLD HILL, with the sequel THE SECRET OF COLD HILL published in October 2019. The stage play of LOOKING GOOD DEAD toured the UK in 2021. The WISH YOU WERE DEAD stage play is currently touring the UK.

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